Field Experiment on Behavior of Continuous Water Main with a Miter Bend

A field experiment was conducted to investigate behaviors of a buried continuous steel water main with a 90-degree miter bend subjected to internal pressure and ground settlement. Deformations of the pipe during backfilling are also discussed. A 812.8mm (32-inch) outside diameter, 7.0mm (0.276-inch) wall thickness and 50m (164 feet) long test pipe was used for the experiment. The ground settlement effect was created by dissolving a salt layer compacted beneath the test pipe. Displacements, deformations and strains induced in the test pipe were measured and the data were compared with a nonlinear finite element solution.